The Calm before the Storm
by Public-Therapy101
Summary: With the members of the Akatsuki dropping like flies, it was only logical to search for a new member to help build up the ranks. It just so happens that a certain member knows the target. Will this spell trouble? Bad language, heavy? gore, lemon?
1. Assignment

**A/N: Man, you gotta love the Akatsuki. I was very depressed when Dei-san and Hidan-kun died. (Even though Hidan isn't really 'dead', per say.) :'( But I don't miss Sasori that much. Oh well. And Tobi is still awesome, despite it all. xD And since Tobi is here and Sasori (And Hidan :P) is dead, that should be a giveaway that the story happens during Shippuden! (If you didn't know, I just told you :P ) But, I felt compelled to toss in a random character to ruin their lives! :D Nah. Just kidding. But, I did toss in a random lass. And she's not exactly a prude when it comes to language. (If given the chance, she'd love to give Hidan a run for –cough-Kakuzu's-cough- money.) I'm not sure how regularly I'll update on account that I'm handling two or three stories at a time. -.-; I've got to learn to finish one story before I start another. Meh, well, here it tis.**

Quick Disclaimer: (I only do this once, so, if you must, copy and paste this at the beginning of every chapter) I do not own Naruto or anything associated with it. But, I do own Arashi because she is basically a split persoanlity to me. -.-;

-O.O.O.O.O.O.O-

Beneath the beating sun's rays, beneath the cool moist earth, lurks an evil in an orange, spiral print mask. And his name is Tobi. Well, according to Deidara at least. A soft knock stirred the blonde from his thoughts and earned a muffled reply.

"Come in, yeah." He mumbled, still partially hidden in his faithful old black, red cloud print cloak.

The same orange mask that he had just been inwardly cursing popped around the edge of the door as soon as it was humanly possible to do so. "Deidara-senpai, where is Kisame-san? Oh, and Itachi-sama too?" It was just like Tobi to barrage Deidara with question as soon as he got the chance.

"How the hell should I know, yeah?" the blue-eyed male asked with an air of indignance in his voice, mostly at the mention of Itachi, as he turned on his side to put an imaginary wall between the two. But said 'wall' was shattered at Tobi's next statement.

"Leader-sama is looking for you three." The black haired nin announced from his post by the door. Upon hearing Leader being mentioned, Deidara was on his feet, ready to go.

"I'm going then." Was all the male said before opening his door wide enough for him to push past Tobi and make his way solemnly towards the one place her hated most. Akatsuki headquarters wasn't bad in general. A little ramshackle, a little half-assed construction wise, a bit foreboding, but away from nearly anything and everything, not to mention being very well hidden. It was home to him. Well, the closest thing he'd ever had anyway. Subconsciously, his feet had carried him through the maze of corridors until he stood in front of a large, sturdy, looming oak door and rapped gently on it with his fist, hearing the softness echo about in the large room that gave off the sense that it was nothing but a black hole in a sense. One way in, no way out. He waited only a moment's time before he was given the same reply that he had given to the knock at his own door.

"Come in." the voice was rough, yet rather fetching. It seemed to be stuck somewhere in between the two. But nonetheless, he slipped the door open enough just so he could fit through before closing it as lightly as he could. Despite his efforts, the sound of air being pushed from the domain, plus that of the door coming in contact with its frame, only resounded in the large cavern known as a room. As his eye that was not shielded by his scope adjusted, he noticed that the two others that Tobi had mentioned were already there, standing side by side in front of a large empty throne upon a high platform, whose purpose seemed to be meant to remind them exactly who was in control.

Taking his place on the opposite side of Kisame, and as far away from Itachi as possible, as if a body between wasn't enough. The stone throne was cold for only a moment longer before Pein decided to join the party and claim his place above them all.

"It's only fair to assume that you all want to know exactly why I decided to summon the three of you. Deidara, since Sasori is now dead, and Hidan is… Well, indisposed, you will be completing this mission with Itachi and Kisame on account that it might take all three of you to complete it. And because in the end, we should be able to rope ourselves a new member to hopefully rebuild the Akatsuki's ranks." The spiral eyed man explained giving them a brief overview of the mission that they were being assigned.

"So this is a recruit mission? Why send all three of us again?" Kisame asked in his usual feral tone, obviously not happy about being the mediator between the two males on either side of him.

"Because, like I said, I don't know if one, or even two of you, could bring her back here and remain intact yourselves, so, it's best that all three of you go and work as a _team_ to complete the goal. " Leader said, confirming Kisame's suspicions that he was expected to be the 'in-between' guy in the group and try to keep the peace. The shark-fish man considered what he had said and was about to have another outburst but Deidara seemed to be thinking the same thing and beat him to it.

"Wait, did you say 'her', un?" he asked, a slightly quizzical look upon his youthful face.

"Yes, I did." The 'emperor', or so he seemed to be, confirmed, a hologram of a map of all the shinobi nations appearing beside him.

"Her name is Haretsu Arashi." At the mention of the girl's name, Itachi's ears perked up. He knew that name from somewhere. But, he just couldn't place a name to a face. "I have yet to discover from where she hails, but, I'll leave that to you. Last time she was seen was after this village," he paused, taking time to point to a small, red dot on the map in the Rain region, which caused several pictures of a broken, burnt town to pop onto the screen. "…was brought to the ground at her mercy. Survivors have yet to be discovered. Arashi works as an assassin for hire mostly, but, I've noticed that she's tackled much larger-scale attacks, such as taking down small villages. From what I hear, she's a force to be reckoned with, but not only because of her battling abilities. It's her intelligence that is usually her enemy's downfall. Her kills tend to be clean and undetected until the body is found, but she leaves a distinctive mark on all her victims, or the town itself." The leader continued as if he had practiced what to say in front of a mirror for several hours.

Pausing for a moment, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a picture. He tossed it up into the air, and as it fluttered back to earth, the Samehada-bearing male caught it in his grasp.

"That picture was taken three days ago outside of Ta no Kuni, she was possibly in route from Otogakure, and just recently she's been seen heading west along the Fire country's border, then south west through Kusagakure towards Sunagakure. For what reason I do not know. Probably another job, or to get away from someone. Anyway, at the rate that she's moving, she should be on the north-east border Ame no Kuni as we speak." Pein continued his explanation as the three Akatsuki scanned the picture. The scenery was blurry, but, it was enough to get a good look at the 18 year old girl's face. Although she looked quite a few years younger in her face, her body's natural curves gave her away. They'd have to know her face, which only one of them was looking mostly at, for later, and so Kisame took the liberty of slipping the snapshot into his cloak for safe keeping. As soon as the picture could be seen, Itachi knew where he knew her from and why he seemed so familiar. It was the small, black dot under each eye that gave her away. And the silver colored locks that were thrown about in vast disarray on account that she was moving at a rather fast pace, looking over her shoulder to see something behind her. Her headband was loose around her neck, but, it was turned at such an angle that the symbol was unrecognizable.

"I know where she's from." The Sharingan-eyed male spoke out, all eyes on him, including Leader's who commanded him to elaborate. "She's from Konoha. We graduated together." At that, nearly all of the 5 eyes (Excluding Deidara's scope) that had been staring at him widened ever so slightly. They knew that Itachi was nearly 20 now, and she was obviously younger than him. If they graduated together, that was saying something.

"Thank you for that bid of information. Now, all three of you, pay close attention. She's tough. Very tough. A small fleck I found on her past was that she spent a few years with a traveling entertainment group as both a contortionist and member of the 'Freak Show', as to why she was put into the latter, I do not know. Nonetheless, it is mostly her IQ and strategic abilities that give her an edge, but, be wary of her physical movements as well. Reviewing her criminal history, I noticed that most cities are burnt to the ground, so, I'd assume she has apt abilities with fire in some form."

"Pyrotechinics. One of her foster families owned a fireworks shop." The black haired male again confirmed.

"Thank you once more."The elder man was about to continue, but, Kisame, again, interrupted.

"Why do you keep saying about her IQ? Is it that big of a thing?" he asked bluntly, arching an eyebrow ever so slightly.

"Yes." Itachi interjected in a low, nearly inaudible tone.

"Indeed. When you have an IQ of 265, you're mostly likely a strategically gifted psycho. And she's no exception. Like I said, she's dangerous. So, watch your backs. I don't need to lose anymore members. The less people I have the harder it is to complete my goal." The last sentence that Pein spoke seemed to wipe away all hopes that he might have harbored the slightest hint of caring for them or even being grateful for all that they were doing.

"Why are we going after her again?" Kisame asked, obviously having forgotten the goal already.

Though no sigh of annoyance crossed the Leader's lips, his voice portrayed slight irritation. "Because she's an S-rank criminal and Orochimaru is after her too." He explained simply.

"Why is that bitch after her too, yeah?" Deidara asked, finally deciding to speak once more.

"I honestly don't know. But, if we have her, that means he doesn't." Was all Pein said before getting to his feet. "You are all dismissed. I expect you gone in an hour. Just sedate her and bring her back here, then I'll handle it. Don't get involved in run-ins with other shinobi if you can help it. Remember, it's a recruit mission, not a mission to see who can kill more people and get the group caught first." With that, he was gone.

Itachi left the room first, then Kisame, Deidara bringing up the rear. Though he wore a look of indifference, Deidara was still contemplating what Leader had said. Maybe it wasn't so much that she was too much for one person, or two, maybe having all three of them wouldn't take as long and they could get back quicker. He probably should have been considering how they were going to go about capturing this fellow criminal, but, then again, the blonde was not one to plan ahead. He'd much rather make it up as he went, it was much more fun and artistic if you acted spontaneously. That's just how he rolled. Double checking his clay supply, he figured he'd have enough for the few days that they'd be gone. Sighing out of slight boredom, he leaned against one of the walls nearest the exit, hands in his pockets, as he awaited his two 'team mates' who apparently had to grab a thing or two before they left. He had everything he needed. Hairbrush in an interior pocket, a small sketchbook, along with a few pencils, both graphite and colored pencils for slight accents, and his clay. That was everything he needed for a trip as short as this. Now, Deidara wasn't a very patient man, in fact, most men weren't. They just wanted to do things and be done with them.

-O.O.O.O.O.O.O-

After what seemed like forever, the fish stick and the mole returned with their faces showing no acknowledgement that they had kept their comrade waiting. The two left first, leaving Deidara to follow up. After taking to the trees, Kisame slowed slightly so he was in pace with Deidara before speaking.

"We're hoping to make it to the boarder of the Wind country by sunset tomorrow so we have time to survey the land and spread far enough so that there's no way she can get past without running into one of us. I'll go into more detail later." He explained. "I also have a plan for the actual encounter, but, I'll tell you before we split up to take positions along the border." Deidara simply nodded in agreement.

"Since she'll be on Ame land between Kusa and the Wind country, there is less of us having a run in with ninja from any of the shinobi nations. " he continued. "Especially Konoha. Not that they'd care much that we were taking one of their Rogue shinobi."

The blonde male was only paying half attention now. Instead, he was mentally sorting through the little information they had received on their target.

_'So, she uses explosives, eh? Well, this should be most interesting…' _he mused.

"Deidara, she doesn't use explosives for fights." Itachi pointed out, his voice practically in the blonde's ear.

"Well, how else would she use them, yeah?" he inquired, glancing over at the male that was now on his opposite side. He didn't get along with Itachi in the least, but felt he should seize the moment and try to find out more about their opponent.

"She marks people with them. Arashi-san has been using them near as long as I've known her. Most of them are designed to leave her signature pattern, but, she may have changed their uses since then." The vermillion-eyed male began to explain. "Her fighting style is completely new to me on account that I haven't seen her since a few years after we graduated. It was not too long after she was offered a position in ANBU that she disappeared, never getting a chance to accept the offer. But she did say that she wanted to."

Both Deidara and Kisame were staring at him as if urging him to continue, but, he left it at that. Though he was silent on the outside, internally, he was busy being captured in his past.

-O.O.Flashback.O.O-

_"Oi, Itachi!" a young girl's voice yelled over the slightly blustery October winds._

_He turned in the direction of the noise to see a girl, slightly younger than himself, walking in his direction._

_"Hey Arashi." He said in his usual low tone as she sat next to him atop the head of the First Hokage that remained stationary in the large rock that overlooked Konoha._

_The female didn't look any different on the outside, but, her eyes held a look of concentration. She always seemed to be thinking of something in ways most people didn't. Sometimes, during training, he'd glance over and see her looking at a squirrel or other forest creature and catch himself wondering what she saw. There were many occasions that'd he'd have given his Sharingan to see the world the way she did. Especially with the look they now held._

_He glanced nonchalantly over her form, taking note that she had altered her wardrobe slightly to accommodate the slightly cooler conditions. The black zip up hooded sweatshirt with a purple hood and short sleeves of the same shade that she wore every day had become long sleeved and slightly thicker. The pale blue capris that would normally cover her legs had lengthened into a pair of pants as well. But, she looked the same otherwise. Her silver hair was always pulled back into a rather askew ponytail, a good portion of it being too short to be pulled back and instead hanging in front of the hitai-ate that was laced tightly around her forehead. He half expected her eyes to be staring back at him, but, they were still focused on something in the distance._

_"Arashi-san…" he said, tilting his head in her direction slightly._

_"Nan desu ka?" she replied, keeping her eyes straight ahead._

_"What are you thinking about?" he murmured, actually turning his head in her direction this time. He had yet to understand how her mind worked, so, he was nearly always interested in what she was thinking._

_After a moment's pause, she finally answered. "Now that I'm a Chuunin, they want me to join the ANBU." She muttered, placing a short, quiet 'hm' at the end of her sentences as she did when she was really thinking hard about something._

_Itachi looked back out across the village, his eyes looking first at the crowded streets, mentally retracing the path that he had seen Arashi and a certain orange clad blonde ninja walking earlier that day. Then his gaze shifted to the colorful houses, then the roofs, then the Hokage tower, not really looking for anything in particular after seeing watching the path the two had walked, especially because they seemed, well, happy. His wandering eyes were brought back to his companion when her voice broke his thoughts._

_"They asked you too, didn't they?" Arashi muttered, looking at him this time, with her face in his direction. Slipping his eyes over to look at her, he noticed that the small black dot beneath each of her eyes seemed to be staring at him as well._

_"Yeah, they did." He mumbled in reply._

_There was a few minutes of silence before he felt some weight on his shoulder. Turning to face her, he saw that Arashi was looking at him as well, her arm draped over his shoulders. "The Konoha no Hinote Futago are going to stick together, right?" she asked softly, her eyes all but looking trough him._

_He looked at her as if he was going to say no, but, at the last minute, he swung his arm over her shoulder in the same fashion. "Right." He agreed, managing a small, nearly invisible smile._

_That was the last time he'd seen her._

-O.O.End Flashback.O.O-

Itachi had become lost in his thoughts and without realizing it, darkness had set in. But, there was no rest of the Akatsuki until they were on their way home. Unless they were being chased by shinobi or something else along those lines.

**A/N: Well, that's chapter one. Cliffhanger(ish), yay! :D I'm considering continuing, so, lemme know what you think or if you'd like to guess what happen in the next chapter. Well, that's about all I have to say. So, R&R if you please.**

**Quick Japanese lesson: Konoha no Hinote Futago should translate to something along the lines of 'Fire Twins of Konoha'. Well, like I said, something like that. xD And Nan desu ka? is equivelant to 'What is it?' if you couldn't tell by using context clues :P**


	2. Betrayl

**A/N: Meh. Unfortunately, I expect this chapter to be more of a filler/flashback than anything. It shall be important, in a few chapters. This takes place about a year before the flashback in the last chapter. And there's a flashback within a flashback, so, I hope I don't confuse you. And don't worry, I'll tell you when the 'hidden flashback' occurs. But, I hope to toss in some more 'recent' updates as the Akatsuki nears the south-west boarder of their village. As well as partially introduce Arashi into the story.**

-O.O.O.O.O.O.O-

"_Hey! Wait up Arashi-chan!"__**-O.O Flashback within the flashback O.O-**_

Upon hearing her name, and the rather unusual suffix, aqua eyes met cerulean when she turned around and found a certain hyper-active blonde ninja running after her. Though he was older than her, he never really acted it. Nor did he look it, even if it was a very small margin.

"Hi, Naruto." She replied in her naturally soft tone, turning to face him with a rather quizzical expression on her thinning face. "Where's the fire?" she added, arching a thin eyebrow slightly.

"Right where you're standing." He huffed, half out of breath when he finally caught up to her. "The Hokage wants to see you. He didn't say much except that it was something about what happened yesterday."

"Oh. Okay. I'll be going then." Arashi replied softly, nodding to her friend before walking past him in the direction of the emblem adorned building.

'What happened yesterday, huh?' she thought to herself, stopping in the middle of the street to gaze up at the spring sky.

Despite the cheerful sun and chirping bird, an ominous aura hung over the class room when Iruka began his explanation of how to land a fatal hit with a kunai. Many of the students were busy watching him attentively as he explained and demonstrated the proper throwing stance, but, there was one whose eyes were focused outside on a small bird that pecked and scratched at the ground. Somehow it seemed nostalgic, but, she couldn't place her finger on the reason as to why.

A loud slap against wood jarred her from her thoughts, more so the fact that the sudden outburst of noise came from right in front of her. When she shifted her gaze nonchalantly to the once empty spot in front of her, Arashi raised an eyebrow slightly as she stared up at the obviously agitated male with large eyes but slightly bored expression on her face.

"Can I help you?" she asked softly. Though she was two years, or more, younger than all the others in the room, the way she spoke and carried herself would tell you otherwise. Not to mention that this was her last day as an Academy Student. In forty-five minutes they were scheduled to take the final exam. As one of the academy's top, but laziest, students, she knew she would do fine.

"Yes, you can." His voice showed his irritation in the tone that he spoke to her, his tone holding a hint of sarcasm. "I want you to go and land a fatal hit on the practice dummy up there." He instructed, motioning towards a rather battered and decrepit, quickly thrown together looking mannequin.

"Hm. Can I use chakra?" she asked, raising an eyebrow further.

"_Sure. Just do it." Iruka returned to the front of the room and awaited his lazy-assed pupil to follow. She did, eventually, after her desk mate, and 'friend', Itachi caught her arm and gave her a soft nod as if to say 'Good Luck.' All she did was smirk in return before walking to the middle of the front of the room and facing her 'opponent'. Arashi let out an audible sigh and pulled out a set of kunai from her holster, slipping two of her fingers through the small rings at the end of each handle. Drawing back her arm, she allowed a small amount of chakra to flow through the blade before giving her arm a quick snap outwards. In the blink of an eye, each blade was found across the room, stuck firmly into the wall on the other side of the dummy. There was a moment of silent gawking before the female's make-shift opponent slid to the ground in thirds. The head rolled off first, the upper torso following, and the remaining 'legs' simply fell over._

"Fatal enough?" she muttered softly, a smirk evident on her usually relaxed features.

Iruka glared at her back a moment. "Take your stance again. You don't need any weapons, just pretend you have them." That's what came out of his mouth, but, in truth he was flabbergasted by the amount of control this girl had over her chakra, and at such an early age.

The silver haired girl let out a near irritated sigh before doing what she was asked. The brown haired Chuunin approached and walked slowly around her, taking note of her form. "Move your wrist up like…" he began, taking hold of her wrist and beginning to position it, but, something wasn't right. "Arashi… You're burning up!"

The young female let out a hiss as if his touch burned and jerked away from his grasp, nearly falling over herself in the process. Her sensei's hand was on her shoulder to steady her, but, she again moved away from his touch.

"You need to go to the nurse." He insisted, attempting to take hold of her again, but, she slipped away from him.

"Don't touch me." She near hissed, glaring fiercely at him.

"Just go to the nurse then." He insisted, using his most threatening 'teacher-like' voice.

"I'm not going!" She screamed. Arashi had her reasons, but it really wasn't anyone's business. He reached for her again, but, before she could evade, her body finally began reacting to her fever, plus whatever it was that was ailing her. Instantaneously the young girl sank to her knees, body trembling violently. Her left hand was desperately clutching her forehead, and the other wrapped tightly around her stomach. Though no one saw him even shift in his seat throughout the whole ordeal, Itachi was beside his fallen comrade, already helping her to her feet, but just enough that he could hook one arm beneath her knees since the other was already tightly around her middle back.

"You keep teaching, I'll take her." The Uchiha stated simply and without waiting for an answer, carried the small girl in his arms from the room and towards the infirmary.

"Don't let anyone touch me." She muttered softly against his shoulder, her eyes closed tightly as if fighting off a bad dream. Even through her layers of clothing, Itachi could feel the mass amounts of heat radiating from her body. It was nearly like she was made of fire herself. Knowing that he life was in possible danger, he hurried a bit, soon reacting the sickeningly clean room, and the sickeningly clean woman who at behind a sickeningly clean desk. As soon as the boy entered, a small form in his arms, she was on her feet and hurrying towards him. As she reached out to take the rather fragile looking girl from him, Itachi hurriedly pulled her away.

"Arashi doesn't want anyone else touching her." He said pointedly. The woman looked rather flustered and taken aback, but gave a curt nod and motioned for him to follow as she headed for a small room with a bed. As he laid his classmate on the bed, he told the woman what the problem was.

"_She has a very high fever. It caused her to nearly pass out during class." He said, looking to the nurse who hurried away to get a cold bowl of water and a cloth. Itachi remained at the aqua-eyed girl's side, thinking over the past few months. He noticed that she had been thinning rapidly and paling, not to mention that she missed several days due to abnormally strong stomach pain. She became much less talkative as well and nearly always seemed anxious or depressed, though no one really seemed to take notice besides him. But then again, they were rather close. Not best friends, but, they worked well on a team and both usually had an answer to the other's problem. Except this time, she hadn't said anything to him about whatever was going on, so, of course he couldn't really do anything to help her. Silently, he wondered if her parents were to blame. They weren't really her parents, more like foster parents on account that she never really stayed with one family for long. In the past four years that she had lived in Konoha, she had been through 17 foster families. She'd simply run away back to orphanage where she'd soon be picked up by a new family.__**-O.O End Flashback within the Flashback O.O-  
**__**  
**__Without ever taking notice, Arashi's feet had carried her to her destination and snapped out of her reminiscing just before she ran face first into the door that held the golden nameplate of 'Hokage' on it. Tightening her new hitai-ate around her forehead, her face set in its usual emotionless yet slightly cheerful configuration, the eight year old rapped her knuckles on the door, soon to be met with a reply._

Letting out a sigh as the black haired nurse returned, bowl in one hand and cloth in the other, he turned his gaze to the small window in the room, noticing that the sky seemed to have darkened considerably. He heard the nurse leave again, only to return moments later with a thermometer. Slipping the thin, metal rod beneath Arashi's tongue, a soft beep from the handheld machine announced that the temperature had been calculated. Itachi glanced over to catch the woman's expression, one of terror, disbelief and hysteria.

"Oh, this is terrible! I need the medics!" she said in a hurry, running quickly from the small room. She wasn't exactly being inconspicuous since the clatter of plastic against tile announced that she had shoved her chair from behind her desk and out of her way. The next sound of plastic against plastic, then a smack from something hitting wood suggested that she had picked the telephone up with unsteady hands and accidentally dropped it onto the desk. There was a click-clack sound of buttons being pushed and an uncomfortable pause until the other line was picked up.

"Yes, this is Nurse Haru from Konoha Academy. I need medics here ASAP. I have a pupil running a temperature of 102.6 and rising." The woman near shouted into the receiver.

The Uchiha's onyx eyes widened when he hear the numbers before looking at the girl beside him, knowing perfectly well that a few more degrees could mean death. Her face had flushed a dark red and sweat ran along side of her face, though her expression remained impassive and serene, he could sense pain in the muscles beneath her skin. Acting on impulse, Itachi soaked the rag in the bowl that had been left sitting on the bedside table before removing Arashi's goggles from their perch atop her head, laying them beside her on the bed. He had always found the goggles a bit on the odd side, but, she made them work. Her current family owned a small, family-operated pyrotechnics shop and his friend was usually messing with something that could literally blow up in her face at any moment, so, she kept the gunpowder smudged goggles with her at all times. He had never seen her without them, so, this was a first. Sighing gently, he proceeded to clean up her face before folding the thick white cloth and laying it over her forehead in an attempt to lower her temperature or at least keep it from getting any higher. There was a 'click', then the pitter-patter of feet that announced the return of the nurse, now known as Haru, who came into the room to see that what she was about to do had already been done. She returned to the main part of the office to await the arrival of Konoha's medics.

They weren't kept waiting, probably because it was a child who was in danger of dying. A group of 3 medic nins arrived in under five minutes, in which time, Arashi's temperature had lowered considerably, hanging around 99.3 degrees Fahrenheit. She regained consciousness soon after the white-garbed shinobi arrived. Instantaneously she was bombarded with questions such as, 'How old are you?', 'Has this happened before? If so, when?', all the usual spiel. Before they could ask anymore, she leaned over the opposite side of the bed from the one that Itachi occupied, grabbed hold of the nearest trashcan and began near literally began spilling her guts. Or her lunch, either would apply on account that there was a bit of blood amongst the pieces of partially digested food bits. After getting most of their questions answered, not to mention taking both her blood pressure and a small blood sample, they left. Now with a body heat of 98.6, Haru dismissed them back to class.

Arashi did nothing on the way back except stare at her shoes. Since she obviously wasn't in the mood for talking, Itachi remained silent as well. Iruka had nearly finished the testing by the time they arrived, but, both of the classes' Top Students finished the test much quicker than he had expected. At the end of the day, the silver haired now Genin kunoichi had disappeared.

"Enter Arashi." The Hokage obviously knew who was calling and gave a quick reply. He just wanted to get this out of the way as quickly as he could. When the girl entered, he saw what he had feared. So young, so full of life, yet fading rapidly, right before his eyes.

"You wanted to see me Hokage-sama?" she spoke, standing before him, her hands respectfully behind her back.

"Yes Arashi. I have both good and bad news for you. Which would you like to hear first?" the crippling man asked, eyeing her carefully.

The female took a moment to consider. "Bad news first."

"Alright. The bad news is that you've been diagnosed with a very uncommon disease, Porphyria. Acute intermittent Porphyria to be more specific. It is incurable, though medicines to minimize its effects exist. But, life as a shinobi may be very difficult and you should probably give it up."

"Porphyria, eh?" the newly turned Genin muttered to herself. She wasn't a medical expert by any means, but, she knew of the ailment nonetheless. "Then, what's the good news?"

"Well, Porphyria is a hereditary disease, and on that account, only one clan has been affected by it in the past 158 years, the Haretsu clan of Amegakure. That's where we believe you truly come from. Furthermore, you've been prescribed a set of three pills to take to help with your condition." After saying so, the Hokage pulled three small bottles from his desk drawer, holding them out for her to take. The small girl stepped forward and took the three orange bottles, slipping them into the pouch the kept on the back of her right hip.

"Now I must ask you, what do you want to do? Are you going to stay in Konoha or return to your family in Amegakure? And if you chose to stay, will you remain a shinobi?"

Arashi didn't know what to say. She wanted to stay, but she also wanted to meet the family she never had. And, of course she wanted to stay a ninja, either way, she wasn't going to give up. There was several minutes that she simply stood, just, staring at the old man, her eyes becoming darker, like the calm before a storm. "I'm staying." She said simply.

"Very well. I'll notify everyone of your decision. You are dismissed." The old man behind the desk said, nodding respectfully at her decision. Nodding respectfully in return, Arashi turned and slipped from the room, managing to keep a cool, level head, although she wanted to scream. As soon as she shut the door, her legs took off as if on instinct. The female bolted from the building, down the street, and eventually to the field where her team was going to meet the following day. Unexpectedly, when she burst through the brush, fighting back tears, she saw one of her team mates already there, possibly thinking about the next day. Her breath hitched in her throat when her slightly widened aqua orbs met the onyx pair customary to the Uchiha clan.

"Itachi-kun." She muttered softly, fighting back tears. "Uhm… Thanks for yesterday." She added, trying her best to regain her composure and feign a normal appearance, but, he saw right through her as if she was trying to hide behind a window.

"Arashi, come." He said near demandingly, motioning to the spot beside him on the log. Biting her lip, the person to whom 

_he had beckoned slowly made their way towards him, sitting in the spot he indicated. "You're distraught. What's wrong? I don't like seeing you this way." He said simply, turning to face her. Not answering immediately, the girl's head drooped, the silver locks that covered her head acting as a screen to hide her face behind. Itachi obviously wouldn't rest the subject._  
Fighting back a sigh at the memory, the young woman waited on her perch atop a large cliff that overlooked a small town not far from Amegakure's south-west border. Initially, she was planning to be at the border by tomorrow afternoon, but, things seemed to be in her favor that day and she had a little spare time. She had recently spent the past two days in the town she now overlooked, but she wasn't just there to rest and stock up. No, she had much bigger plans. During her last 'stay' in this village, she was rudely interrupted by a pair of hunter nins and she didn't get to completely finish what she wanted to do, so, she figured that this would be the perfect chance to make up for it. It would usually take her about two days to fully wire, load, and arm a town before she was ready to leave it, and this was just another one of those instances. Smirking gently, she waited for darkness to fall before setting off her Grand Display. Each one she had made a point of making it bigger and better than the last, and since this was her most recent, she wanted it to be absolutely huge. Finally, she let out that restrained sigh and closed her eyes letting her feet swing freely over the rocky edge. Off in the distance, she felt three traces of chakra heading in her direction. One was very large compared to the other two which were all but wisps, but one of those wisps was oddly familiar.

"Is it your parents? Are they starving you?" he persisted, trying to get her to look up. "What's happening. Just tell me."

Finally, Arashi looked up, her eyes filled to the brim with newly formed tears. "I'm sick." She muttered, her throat tightening as she admitted the words.

"You mean, like a cold? Why could you—" he started, but, she cut him off.

"No, not like a thing you get over in a week or so. It's a disease. Hereditary, which means I can't do anything about it." The small girl confirmed. "They said I might have to give up being a kunoichi." She added, biting her lip to fight back the tears that threatened to pour over at any moment.

Itachi could only look at her. He had no idea why he even cared. Why did he help her yesterday, why did he even talk to her? He barely talked to anyone, yet, he hung around her most of the day. It was how close they were that startled him. And he couldn't have it. But, maybe, just for then, it would be okay. Against his better judgment, he hesitantly wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Arashi obviously wasn't used to people hugging her, but, she came around to the idea and soon, buried her head into the Uchiha's shoulder. Through his shirt he felt hot tears leaking from her eyes, her reflexively pulling her even closer.

'She's freezing.' He thought silently to himself, frowning slightly. 'It should be impossible for her temperature to be this low.'

"Promise me that you'll let me help you." He muttered into her ear, dismissing the thoughts that previously plagued his head.

The younger girl cradled in his arms didn't say anything for a few moments, but soon a muffled reply of acceptance was heard. He sighed, and let go of her when she first began to push away, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand as she began to regain her usual confidence and poise.

"Thank you, Itachi." She said softly, managing a weak smile. The boy, much to her surprise, smiled in return.

"Come on, we better get going. It's almost dinner time anyway." He suggested, getting to his feet then offering Arashi a hand, which she gratefully took before he pulled her easily to her feet. Without letting go of her small limb, he lead her from the training ground and back into Konoha before bidding her a good night.

_'There's no way.'_ Arashi thought to herself as she closed her eyes and tried to focus better. _'I believe it is…'_

-O.O.O.O.O.O.O-

As they neared another small town, Itachi began picking up on a faint, but familiar chakra signature. He momentarily paused, both Kisame and Deidara stopping quickly as well as not to get too far ahead.

"What is it Itachi?" the blue-skinned man asked, his customary smirk still in place. Weather his lips just naturally curved into that shape or if he made the face so much that it actually DID get stuck like that, no one knew, but, it was still there. Even the blonde had his eyebrow raised slightly. He personally hadn't sensed any immediate chakra to be concerned about, and from what he could tell, neither had Kisame.

"It's Arashi. She's up ahead. We should reach her within a half hour if we hurry." The Sharingan user pointed out, starting out immediately afterwards. He seemed to be extra hurried because, despite his usual cool demeanor, he actually wanted to see this girl and find out if it was really Arashi. Even though the chakra signature should have confirmed his suspicions, it was always possible that his better judgment was clouded by his own desires to see if she was really alive. Though he was completely unsure of how she thought of him, he knew that he was pissed at her. Deep in the recesses of his mind, he actually wouldn't mind seeing her dead, but, he also wanted to make sure she was okay. He really didn't know how he felt about her. After she left, without giving him any warning or even saying good bye, he felt utterly thrown aside. After offering his friendship and even to watch over her since she was much younger and because of her mental/hereditary condition, for her to just leave with a traveling entertainment group as another addition to their freak show. She had betrayed him, and he wanted to know why.

**A/N: Well, Arashi's in there a little, Deidara really isn't at all. But, like I said, this was mostly a filler and made to give you a little insight into the story. R&R please. :)**


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